Monday, March 22, 2010

To be, or not to be (John 3:20-21)

whoever lives by the truth comes into the light
These verses are splitting people into two categories. First are the people that “do evil” (or maybe “doeth evil” based on your translation). The second set are the people that live by the truth. You could simplify this as bad guys versus good guys where the lines are clearly drawn. Bad guys hide in darkness. Good guys stand front and center. That's a perfectly appropriate kindergarten approach to these verses.

However, if you're interested in some advanced thinking, I find the phrase “does evil” astonishingly different than the phrase “is evil.” Being evil is a more permanent situation, whereas doing evil can occur in single instant. It is not uncommon for an evil, impulsive action to be performed by a "good" person. This is why the eyeballs in the darkness have expressions that aren't just evil or angry. They also include the expressions of anyone avoiding judgment. These expressions include fear, guilt, and confusion.

In the same way, living “in the light,” is more than being a good person. Living a life of full disclosure is a very demanding lifestyle. How would you like a CSI team to follow you around all day? The way I see it, the actions required to live in the spotlight are two fold. First, you need to know the truth to be able to distinguish right from wrong (see Bible). Second, you need to follow that truth which includes accountability for your actions. This is some tough stuff. The end of verse 21 clearly states that this takes divine intervention.

In an unrelated matter, check out the eyes in the darkness on the top right. They were meant to show confusion, but without being able to see the rest of the person, I can now interpret them with other emotions. They could show pain, as if the individual has dropped something on his foot. Another possibility is that he's in urgent need of a toilet. What else can you see?


If you hire Gil Grissom to follow you around all day:

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